MakerBot and NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab held a Thingiverse Mars Base Challenge. Out of hundreds of entries submitted, the first place winner was Noah Hornberger's Queen B (Bioshielding) Mars Apartment. All of the winning and submitted Thingiverse Mars Base Challenge designs can be downloaded at http://www.thingiverse.com. (Photo: Business Wire)

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MakerBot and NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab held a Thingiverse Mars Base Challenge. Out of hundreds of entries submitted, the first place winner was Noah Hornberger's Queen B (Bioshielding) Mars Apartment. All of the winning and submitted Thingiverse Mars Base Challenge designs can be downloaded at http://www.thingiverse.com. (Photo: Business Wire)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MakerBot and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory want to bring 3D printing
to the Red Planet! While Mars is not yet home to humans, 3D printing
using materials on Mars or resources brought from Earth would likely
help future Mars explorers survive. MakerBot and JPL teamed up to
challenge the 3D printing and design community to come up with designs
for a Thingiverse Mars Base that could theoretically support human life
on the Red Planet. 228 original designs were uploaded to Thingiverse.com,
MakerBot’s 3D design community for discovering, printing and sharing 3D
models. The enthusiasm behind these contributions was out of this world,
as detailed and scientific descriptions often accompanied the innovative
designs. All of the submitted designs were 3D printed on a MakerBot®
Replicator® 3D Printer and then reviewed by scientific and engineering
staff at JPL, who used their expert knowledge and experience to help
select the final three winners.

Winning Mars Base Challenge Entries

First place prize goes to Thingiverse user Noah Hornberger’s Queen
B (Bioshielding) 2 Bedroom 2 Bath Mars Apartment. Noah’s
solution approaches the harsh Mars climate without sacrificing the
comforts of home, with a structure designed to protect its inhabitants
from frigid temperatures and cosmic radiation. Noah chose to use the
tessellating hexagon shape as a form factor, due to its compactness and
modular potential. His description of the design includes radiation
shielding, an underground heated water insulator, and an air
purification system. Noah states, “This is quite a multifaceted
challenge. I have tried to think through the theory of my design as much
as possible and prove it with a printed model. I designed something that
I would feel happy living in for a few years (at least).”

Second place is awarded to Thingiverse user Valcrow’s Martian
Pyramid. This pyramid design focuses on multi-functional systems
that ensure limited resources are reused as much as possible, with
energy produced from a mirror-based solar collector. Valcrow describes
his Martian Pyramid as taking inspiration from the pyramids on Earth,
some of the most iconic, longest standing structures. Valcrow notes the
pyramid’s stable triangular geometry has proven its durability through
the ages in ancient buildings around the world and demonstrated its
weather resistance in tent and teepee designs. This model is intended to
be an architectural cutout view, where the generator room and water
storage areas are clear to the viewer.

Third place is awarded to Thingiverse user Chris Starr (Cstarrman)
for his Mars
Acropolis, which incorporates ancient Greek architectural
elements with modern research facility features. This futuristic
structure draws energy from solar panels, includes three massive
greenhouses, and is designed to ensure that limited resources are not
wasted. Chris created his solution by taking cues from the ancient Greek
Acropolis of Athens. The Mars Acropolis is a three-tiered structure. Its
outer wall serves as a protective barrier. It’s foundation is built atop
a mixture of soil from Earth and Mars. The habitat serves as a mass
research facility to explore and develop means for additional
colonization of the planet.

“We really loved seeing how the designs in the Mars Base Challenge were
often inspired by structures here on Earth that have withstood the
passage of time and harsh weather elements,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of
MakerBot. “It was challenging to select just three winners from the 228
entries. We were happy to have the experts from JPL on board to help
with the judging process, as they took this challenge very seriously.
Overall, this was a very inspiring challenge.”

JPL, in coordination with its Imagine Mars Project and IT Chief
Technology and Innovation Office, evaluated the designs based on
research done by participants about what it would take humans to survive
in the extreme environment on Mars, general feasibility, and design
thinking. MakerBot took those inputs into consideration, while testing
printability, replicability, and other 3D design aspects to select the
final winners.

The first place winner of the MakerBot and NASA/JPL Thingiverse Mars
Base Challenge will receive a MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer.
Second and third place winners will be awarded spools of MakerBot PLA
Filament. All of the Mars Base Challenge designs can be viewed,
downloaded and 3D printed from Thingiverse.com,
the world’s largest 3D printing community with more than 300,000 digital
designs available.

About MakerBot

MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys
Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting
the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in
2009, MakerBot sells desktop 3D printers to innovative and
industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects,
designers, educators and consumers. To learn more about MakerBot, visit makerbot.com.

About NASA/JPL

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena, Calif., manages NASA’s Mars Exploration Program
(MEP) on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. MEP’s Science
Goal 4 is preparation for human exploration. JPL is exploring 3D
printing for use in Mars and other space missions, as well as for
inspiring creativity, design thinking, and STEM literacy. Follow the
#JourneytoMars at mars.nasa.gov
or ImagineMars.jpl.nasa.gov.